This past June, I was inspired by a workshop at General Assembly. The topic… Pathway to Membership. The idea was to make joining more accessible and inclusive by allowing potential new members to find their own way to membership. The benefit is that a new member will already be integrated into East Shore before they even sign the book, and current members will already be in relationship with the new members. This, as they experienced in Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix, has lead to more meaningful connections and more committed members. It took some time to figure out how to start taking what I learned and applying it to East Shore. With the transition to all virtual services, and continuing to get more visitors at worship, I needed to speed up the process. I also made sure to include items that could be done during this time of online activities and social distancing. Here is what I have come up with (click to enlarge): 
I decided to use our mission statement as inspiration, putting various activities into the categories. A potential new member would complete at least one activity in each category, and three additional. It also still includes the items required by the bylaws and making sure any new member understands the privileges and responsibilities of membership. I’m happy to report I already have a few people ready to work on it! How many of you have already completed the entire board? When someone is ready to join, I’ve already included an online membership form (though ALL members can fill it out to have their information updated). I also have a digital book “signing!” We are ready!
by Nicole Duff, Membership Development Manager